Does anyone else think it's strange when you buy orange juice now you're given a choice between lots of pulp, some pulp and no pulp?
Normally I'm an orange juice snob, coming from Florida as I do, and in Florida when you get fresh-squeezed orange juice you just know it has pulp. Oranges have pulp and therefore the juice has pulp.
But when you buy a factory packaged O.J. like Tropicana, as I do now and again when I'm sick or when I'm getting a bagel, I'm flummoxed with pulp choices. Do I want some pulp or lots of pulp? I certainly don't want no pulp though I know there are people who hate pulp and I'm sure I'll hear from them in the comments.
I just want the proper amount of pulp for the amount of orange juice I'm about to drink. How much pulp came out when you squeezed those oranges, Tropicana? Lots or some? Well put that amount in the container and I'll drink it. You know since it's 100% pure and natural I figure the amount of pulp should be pure and natural too.
What's next, choose the tint of the orange juice color? The viscosity, the acidity? I'll take what comes out of the orange and leave those choices to Mother Nature not Mother Industry, thank you.
Comments (41)
Yeah, it is a weird quandary - generally speaking, I'm not a fan of pulp - unless, as you mentioned, the juice is actually real, and freshly squeezed, and delicious - then I don't notice the pulp at all...
Posted by zeep | January 23, 2008 11:05 AM
My boyfriend always gets the 'no pulp' and I think that seems so unnatural. I also think the 'calcium added' tastes funny, or at least it used to. I stopped getting it for that reason ages ago.
I totally agree, I want the amount of pulp it came with. I prefer buying the more natural-seeming orange juices like Bolthouse or Happy Planet (those are the brands in my neck of the woods anyway) when I can, as it's kinder on my stomach.
Posted by Lydia | January 23, 2008 11:34 AM
Actually, you can now buy low acidity orange juice. Sometimes the acidity of orange juice burns my tongue, so I tried it. Big mistake.
Posted by Teddyb | January 23, 2008 11:43 AM
I actually prefer the "lots of pulp" option, but i generally water my orange juice down a bit, as I find most juices too sweet.
And as for the viscosity and color? Ever heard of Sunny Delight or Tang? I suppose those really aren't orange juice, but they're cheap imitations thereof, and are generally disgusting.
Posted by Devlyn | January 23, 2008 11:55 AM
I just hate the word "pulp", despite loving the aforementioned in my juice.
As you said, it's just unnatural.
Posted by Fatemeh | January 23, 2008 12:33 PM
These choices have been out for years and years. I can't drink "lots of pulp" or even "some pulp". No pulp is just right when I drink orange juice. The acidity is the problem and yes I would take "low acidity" orange juice.
Funny. You really think the oranges up on those trees haven't already been messed with by good old Man? Mother Nature has long been taken out of the picture dude.
Posted by yoshi | January 23, 2008 12:37 PM
Well, there are people, like my beloved S., who simply do not like pulp at all.
For breakfast I often squeegee an orange or two, but S. always asks me to strain the juice with very fine strainer so there is no pulp in his glass!
So, you see...
Posted by FreshAdriaticFish | January 23, 2008 12:41 PM
Well, as far as food processing goes, I think straining out the pulp (or adding extra pulp that's been strained for the No Pulp juice) is pretty minor. I don't like pulp, and even in fresh squeezed juice, I'd rather take it home, strain it, and then drink it. Unless it is in a mimosa, then I'll tolerate pulp.
Posted by Apsalar | January 23, 2008 12:56 PM
Sunny Delight is evil.
Posted by zeep | January 23, 2008 1:00 PM
Yeah, was looking at that the other day. Tried me the max pulp, that was just crazy insane. Then it was a clear choice for the medium grade, oh yes. But then? I was feeling cheeky one Sunday morning and bought the no pulp. While for normal juice drinking, it ain't right. But for when to add to liquor? It is my friend. There's something about "bits" being in my drinks. Kinda reminds me of my dear father finding his lost glass of wine, only to find a dead fly in it. He'd fish it out, of course. But it left a imprint on my meat riddled mind that I should not add bits to my drinks.
Biggles
Posted by Dr. Biggles | January 23, 2008 1:09 PM
Usually I eat the whole orange (skin and seeds excluded), so for me it's always pulp and juice.
Therefore, and back to your original question (how much pulp?) the answer is: lots of!
Posted by Orange Fan | January 23, 2008 1:13 PM
I'm confused as well. For me, I just want orange juice to how it was taken from the orange. That's why I would rather have the "freshly squeezed" OJ in bottles from health food stores. Unfortunately, they don't have that in the big supermarkets.
Posted by Joy | January 23, 2008 1:40 PM
I actually picked no pulp this morning and I enjoyed it. I like my oj with ice so maybe I'm just a little strange. I'm not a big fan of pulp, even if it's fresh orange juice, I'd strain it before drinking.
Posted by wonders | January 23, 2008 1:50 PM
My HS history teacher told us that the FDA has different requirements for the number of dead bugs that's allowed into these orange juices. I'm not sure if she was trying to scare us or not, but going by that, lots of pulp = more opportunities for flies.
Posted by Danny | January 23, 2008 2:02 PM
Don't forget, there's the extra calcium option now, too.
I'm with the camp that like OJ the way it comes out of oranges when they're squeezed. Finding that is another story. Simply Orange seems to the closest I've found in Supermarkets.
Posted by Joe in Madison | January 23, 2008 2:32 PM
Pulp and no pulp options have been around for eons. When we were wee tots, my (now 25 year old) bro and I were breakfasting with our grandmother on a visit to Coronado, and he refused to drink the "hairy orange juice" - he was probably 5 then.
Posted by Chloe | January 23, 2008 2:33 PM
I've always hated pulp...when we used to juice our own, I always had a strainer on my glass
The OJ producers are simply responding to market forces...I'm sure I am counterbalanced by some guy who loves to chew his OJ
Posted by phillygirl64 | January 23, 2008 2:34 PM
I understand what you mean, Adam. I can understand having "regular" and "no pulp," but once you start talking about quantities, like "some" and "lots," I have no idea what I'm getting anymore. Maybe "extra pulp" was just Tropicana's way of using up all that pulp they strained out of the "no pulp" varieties.
Posted by Patrick | January 23, 2008 2:35 PM
Instead of the fresh bouncy pulp of a fresh squeezed orange, the pulp one gets in Tropicana is flaccid after having sat in a bath of processed juice for however many weeks. Furthermore, processed juice pulp is tasteless. So it's odd drinking the juice only to run into so many bizarre lint like things that doesn't taste like anything, much less the orange they are supposedly from.
Posted by anya | January 23, 2008 3:06 PM
Adam - You have to watch this (if you haven't already): http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/20
It is an amazing presentation by Malcolm Gladwell called "What can we learn from spaghetti sauce".
Then you'll know why there are so many choices out there.
Posted by Cenk | January 23, 2008 3:43 PM
Low-acid OJ, really? Bizarre. It reminds me of low-carb bagels, another foodstuff that shouldn't be.
Pulp-less orange juice should only be used for making screwdrivers, if at all.
Otherwise, orange juice that has been separate from the orange for more than 24 hours should be avoided if at all possible. There are other ways to get vitamin C.
Posted by michelle | January 23, 2008 4:20 PM
Oddly enough, I was having a conversation about this exact thing tis morning with my roommate. What exactly is with pulp "levels" in orange juice. And why the uncreative levels how about anti-pulp, pulp-ish and pulptastic. I would totally by OJ labeled pulptatstic.
Posted by TJ | January 23, 2008 4:42 PM
This is sheer marketing. Nothing to do with pulp. Watch Malcolm Gladwell's pretty good TED talk (search ted.com for 'gladwell') on spaghetti sauce for the precedent.
Posted by Rich | January 23, 2008 5:14 PM
Great commentary but you didn't just notice this, right? The pulp choice has been around for years my friend! My brother and I used to have fights about which was better - I liked pulp, he couldn't stand it. Guess the industry ways really worked on him!
Posted by Hillary | January 23, 2008 5:41 PM
I was just discussing this with my husband after we both got steamrolled by a cold over break. Our quandary: How do they get extra pulp in the juice? Do they take the pulp from the no pulp cartons and just squish it in? Or do they grow extra pulpy oranges? (not appetizing)
Regarding the reason for it-the American customer must have all possible choices available at all times (unless the majority does not share your particular preference oddity--although Tang and Sunny D might be proof that there are fewer choices than we think in that category).
Posted by pastiche | January 23, 2008 9:39 PM
This is such a funny post! You really make me laugh.
I only drink OJ very occasionally, but I've always thought the pulp option was strange too. I mean, does "lots of pulp" have additional? I don't know. So I understand completely!
Posted by Darcy | January 23, 2008 10:46 PM
The whole pulp or not question bugs me too. I tend to go no pulp when it's in the grocery store. You got freshed squeezed OJ at a restaurant, you got some pulp. Otherwise, I leave my pulp in my oranges, and just eat a couple at a time. I never trust the pulp from the store. It just doesn't taste right.
Posted by joanne | January 23, 2008 11:29 PM
I honestly feel kind of disconnected from the other Nerdfighters on the Ning -- like there's no central place to see what people on thinking. So I vote to leave My Pants where it is.
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http://www.vcao.net
Posted by colehilling | January 24, 2008 4:24 AM
I don't know about this whole "pulp is more natural, because that's how it comes out of the orange" business.
I mean, it's true that if you squeeze oranges into a glass, you'll have pulp in there. You'll also (if you're me, anyway) have seeds and maybe bits of the white pieces.
So you strain it. You can definitely make "pulp free" home-squeezed orange juice -- that's what I do, with a fine strainer. While it's an extra step and it takes a while, it's not really making the orange juice more or less "natural." It's a preparation preference.
Of course, I'm saying this as a militant no-pulp type. I really dislike pulpy orange juice, home squeezed or no.
And although I drink it from time to time, I think we all know there is a lot that's not natural about that Tropicana juice, pulpy or otherwise.
Posted by mauritius | January 24, 2008 8:20 AM
I don't want to be able to 'chew' my orange juice with so much pulp. But I'm bothered by the fact that I have to drink No Pulp now that I live with someone else.
I like the middle ground of 'some pulp'
Posted by Dani | January 24, 2008 8:34 AM
I would actually like for them to add additional pulp to my OJ. Like...if it takes 20 oranges to make a bottle of OJ, put in the pulp of 40. So that basically it's a block of pulp. Like an orange, blended and in a bottle.
Posted by Maggie | January 24, 2008 8:39 AM
Pulp please. I actually play around with the quantity based on the brand. My mom likes Florida Natural, so I get that with some pulp. If I'm getting a brand like such, I go for Simply Orange (most pulp), which always seems to be about the equivalent of what I would have gotten if it was fresh squeezed.
But my favorite orange juice does not require me to make any decision at all—Bolthouse Farms Valencia Orange (yummy). They're one of those companies where I actively try to not learn too much about, because I know the owners are super conservative, but damn they make great juices—Valencia Orange, Blueberry Goodness, Prickly Pear Lemonade, and now their BomDia line. O' Acai Berry with Cacao or Acai Berry with Blueberrry (pleasant sigh). Okay, now I have to go to the store.
Posted by allgood2 | January 24, 2008 9:42 AM
This reminds me of how frustrating it is in Indian restaurants, for example, when the server asks how hot you'd like your dish on a scale of 1-10 but won't tell you how hot it's supposed to be. I've never had a hot korma, but I only know better because I like to read about food (of course, I celebrate the right to hot kormas if that's what you're into).
Posted by Cara Rose | January 24, 2008 10:04 AM
I don't know what's with American OJ -- do they process the oranges with the peel and all? It's just too acidic for me, so I do the low-acid option when I buy it.
I too (coming from Brazil) am an OJ snob -- so since moving to the US I drink other juices like apple and grape, and more recently I've been able to find passion fruit and guava.... with normal pulp amounts!
Posted by Barbara | January 24, 2008 1:31 PM
I recall reading at one point -- and I'm one of those people who reads things constantly and never remembers where they came from, so please excuse my lack of a credible source and don't take what I'm about to say as canon -- that Tropicana and other OJ makers actually remove the pulp from all of their juice products. The pulp is then rinsed and added back in appropriate quantities for whichever variety is being packaged that day. The liquid that came off the pulp in the rinsing process is then sold to other companies and becomes the natural orange flavoring in "Orange Drink" and similar products.
As for me, I'm one of those pulp-free weirdos. I don't like anything vaguely solid in my drinks. I feel the same way about strawberry/raspberry seeds in smoothies. Liquids should be liquid!
Posted by RB | January 24, 2008 2:04 PM
Living in Central Florida I guess I'm a a bit of an orange juice snob too. I don't really ever drink Tropicana or Minute Maid orange juice. Ironically, I just got home from shopping; I stoppped by a fresh citrus retailer. There are a few of these little warehouse-looking buildings that sell lots of oranges, tangerines, tangelos etc. They also make fresh squeezed orange juice; it's so much better than pre-packaged stuff.
Posted by Felix | January 24, 2008 4:12 PM
Tee hee. The longer I read this thread, the funnier the word "pulp" looks to me. PULP! pulp pulp pulp.
PULP!
Posted by k | January 24, 2008 4:28 PM
I always get no pulp. I have really sensitive lips and I hate the feel of pulp on my lips. It is like having someone drag their fingernails down a chalk board. Until you were able to buy no pulp OJ, I would strain my OJ in a coffee filter. I still do that when I squeeze it fresh. I do agree that fresh tastes much better though.
Posted by breadchick | January 24, 2008 9:10 PM
well, in defense of low-acid OJ - it's the only way to enjoy OJ if you have acid reflux
Posted by nameless | January 24, 2008 11:27 PM
i actually just need the measured viscosity values for orange juice at the different Brix levels.
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